Chick-fil-A, KFC Vets Join Inspire Brands Team

Inspire Brands announced the appointment of two industry leaders to the roles of Chief Development Officer and Chief Supply Officer.

Don Crocker will serve as Chief Development Officer of Inspire, where he will lead all aspects of company and franchise restaurant development, including real estate & construction, architecture & design, franchise recruitment, and facilities management. Don previously served as Senior Vice President of Real Estate for Inspire.

Prior to Inspire, Don was with Chick-fil-A, Inc. for more than two decades and served in a number of senior leadership roles within the company’s Real Estate, Restaurant Development, and Supply Chain groups.

“Don brings a wealth of experience in the restaurant industry,” says Paul Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Inspire Brands. “I am thrilled to work alongside him as we accelerate unit growth and welcome new franchisees to the Inspire family."

Christopher Held will serve as Chief Supply Officer of Inspire, where he will lead efforts to centralize the supply chain functions of Buffalo Wild Wings, SONIC Drive-In, and Rusty Taco, as well as Arby’s supply chain outside the United States. ARCOP, Arby’s supply chain cooperative, will continue to manage Arby’s U.S. supply chain and will work closely with the Inspire supply chain team to coordinate supplier relationships across the enterprise.

Prior to Inspire, Chris was with Restaurant Supply Chain Solutions (RSCS), the supply chain management organization for Yum! Brands. At RSCS, Chris served as Senior Vice President for Kentucky Fried Chicken, where he was responsible for leading the supply chain for 4,500 KFC locations.

“We are very excited to welcome Chris as part of the Inspire family. His extensive supply chain experience with QSR and large-scale protein buying makes him uniquely suited to lead our efforts at Inspire,” said Brown. “The centralization of our supply chain under Chris’ leadership will allow us to fully leverage our combined scale in support of our brands.”

Inspire Brands is a multi-brand restaurant company whose current portfolio includes more than 8,400 Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, SONIC Drive-In, and Rusty Taco locations worldwide. In 2018, Inspire’s system sales exceeded $12.2 billion, making it the fifth largest restaurant company in the United States.

News and information presented in this release has not been corroborated by QSR, Food News Media, or Journalistic, Inc.